Welcome
to the Machine

Our first roundtable to include
reader opinions is presented for you today, and although I can't necessarily
say it went without a hitch (*cough* bad scheduling *cough*), I think adding
a reader into the mix really allowed for some intense discussion, and we'll
definitely be doing it next time and for many other roundtables in the near
future. So, if you'd like to be a part of one of RPGamer's news roundtables,
get those applications in to me as soon as possible! I'd also like to give a
special thank you to former newsie Rebecca Phoa and reader Phil Tyran for the
topic suggestions modified and used this week.

We had an interesting roundtable this time around, with three questions that
I thought would be very focused, but ended up producing some really open discussion.
The recent release of the real-time strategy game Warcraft III prompted
a discussion on the addition of RPG elements into other genres, and how RPGs
would stand to lose or profit from these additions. We also talked about dungeon
crawls, and how developers were returning to the RPG genre's roots with games
like Lufia: The Legend Returns,
Dungeon Siege, and Neverwinter
Nights. Finally, we discussed customization of player characters and
how that served to draw players into PC RPGs. A lot of points were made, some
heated arguments ensued, and one of RPGamer's best roundtables was eventually
produced. You don't need to believe me, however, check it out for yourself by
clicking on the links below!

We're still open to applications to sit on our roundtable and talk about games
with your favorite staff members of RPGamer; the link is on the sidebar to the
right. Suggestions, comments, possible discussion topics, and anything else
you feel like throwing my way are always welcome, and should be sent to rtable@rpgamer.com.
Have a good week, and keep reading!

Topics of Discussion

The opinions expressed in the following
topics are the opinions of these four staff members (and one reader) and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of RPGamer as a whole, nor the RPGamer
staff members not participating in the roundtable.